UK Justice

[anglo-saxon]

True Andy, but the point I'm making is that is really isn't as bad as other countries here.

You mentioned Calgary, for instance. I lived there for ten years and I never once felt at risk on the streets, day or night. There are a great many places in the US and in Britain that, quite simply, are no-go areas for many people. I once took a wrong turn in Bristol (into St. Paul's) and was lucky to get out of there with my skin. And that was years ago. Heaven only knows what it is like there now. I've been in parts of Liverpool and London that made my bloody skin crawl. Couldn't wait to get out of there. Then there's the States, with cities able to claim such dubious titles as "drive-by capitol of the world".

Sure, Canada has its problems. I certainly don't dispute that. In just about every major city, there is organized crime, drugs and prostitution. But the intensity and incidence on this per capita is lower than other countries. I have friends in the calgary City Police, some of whome serve in my reserve unit. I get the dirt from them all the time. Sure there are dirtbags everywhere ready to feed off society. The fact is though, we do not have anything like the murder rate of the US, neither is the drug problem as great. The other issue is that there are actually very few substantial cities in Canada, so crime, especially organized crime which has a tendency to be an inner-city phenomenon, is consequently less overall.

In some places in the States, you take a wrong turn off the freeway you dissappear. When's the last time any of you who travel on the London underground made eye contact with anyone? It's not like that here. You get on a bus on the way to work and it is common to have a pleasant conversation with other people on the way. People are genuinely polite and pleasant on the whole. It is not nearly the gloomy, jaded picture as has been painted.

I maintain that Canada is safer than pretty much anywhere else to live. t's certainly THE place I would want to raise my kids.

[Andy O'Pray]

I was part of the Alberta provincial regulatory sytem for a decade and therefore saw the more seedy side of Alberta, a side which most people don't see. You should try Gleichen on Indian cheque day. Even the RCMP don't go into town without a back up. I would not walk about East Vancouver at night. I am sure that df2 could tell us of such areas in Toronto. Winnipeg, where my son is based, is run by the bikers.

I am not running down Canada, I love it here and do not intend to leave it. I do not want to leave the impression with people who have never been here to think that it is a paradise. While our government is still wasting taxpayers money on so called gun control, illegal weapons are flooding in from the US and these are not intended as collectors items. Meanwhile we are sending down tons of marijuana in payment.

I have driven this country coast to coast, Newfoundland and Labrador to Vancouver Island, on at least four occasions and I can assure you that it is not all like S.W. Calgary.

Aye - Andy.

[BenChug]

Well I grew up in Hackney / Islington, and here is essentially a safe haven especially seeing as the RCMP Alberta is supposed to be hiring another 900 cops in the next 3 years.

[anglo-saxon]

Andy, we shall have to agree to disagree. Nothing wrong with that.

Cheers,